Time Well Spent

 

Throughout completing this master’s degree there were lots of ups and downs.  The “downs” have shown me that I can motivate myself to take on challenges and has also shown me that no matter how big the obstacles are, I should always continue taking steps forward and never give up!  These studies have allowed me to explore my goals for the future, as well as making me more aware of how I can improve my teaching practices to better serve the children whom I work with.  I have learned about educational systems across the world and these studies have especially encouraged me to begin my journey as an anti-bias educator.

Fostering inclusion used to be a challenge for me, however, through these studies it has become my passion! My long-term goal is to continue to foster an anti-bias, inclusive learning community (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  I will also continue to research ways, in which I can foster inclusion, seek out professional development opportunities on inclusion as well as support other teachers on how they can foster inclusion.

I would like to thank Dr. Embree for her continued effort to supporting me in creating a capstone project that I can be proud of.  I would also like to wish her all of the best with her new job opportunity!  A big thank you to all of my classmates for your support, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from so many well informed and educated teachers.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Every Child Has A Different Learning Style And Pace. Each Child Is Unique, Not Only Capable Of Learning But Also Capable Of Succeeding”. – Robert John Meehan

“It is not our differences that divide us.  It is our inability to recognize accepts and celebrate those differences.” – Audre Lorde

“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark”. – Robert Heinlein

“Every child is gifted. They just unwrap their packages at different times”. – Unknown

“As early childhood educators, we are in a position to shape a child’s life for the better” – Sandy Escopido (Laureate Education Inc., 2016)

Image: (North Hastings Children’s Service, 2018)

Image: (Cruse Bereavement Care, n.d)

 

Wishing you all the best with meeting your future goals!

I would like to share my contact information for those of you who would like to stay in contact after this program and also if you are planning on traveling to Thailand, Bangkok and need some traveling tips or want to meet up!

Lindie Denny

Work Email: l.denny@ris-swiss-section.org

Personal Email: lindiekdenny@gmail.com / kruger.lindie@gmail.com

P.S We have an extra room in our house, so if you decide on making it out to Bangkok you are more than welcome to stay with us! 🙂

References

Cruse Bereavement Care. (n.d). Cruse Bereavement Care – Leeds: Children and young people. Retrieved from http://www.cruse.org.uk: https://www.cruse.org.uk/leeds-area-children

Derman-Sparks and Edwards. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. Washinton DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Laureate Education Inc. (2016). Five early childhood professionals share passion, motivation, and commitment to the early childhood field. Retrieved from Walden University: https://class.waldenu.edu

North Hastings Children’s Service. (2018). Special Needs Support. Retrieved from http://www.nhcs.ca: http://www.nhcs.ca/special-needs/

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The first vacancy that I am interested in is the Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems at UNESCO (UNESCO, 2018).  This is a position that I would like to fill once I have gained more experience in practicing more management skills as this position requires the candidate to “demonstrate strategic planning and management skills, capacity to administer financial resources and exercise appropriate supervision and control” (UNESCO, 2018, p. 1).  For this position, the candidate also needs to have knowledge of either, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and/or Spanish.  I don’t have any knowledge of any of these languages, however, I am bilingual and open to learning a new language.

Through the National Step By Step Foundation website, I was redirected to the Bernard Van Leer Foundation which has a position available that I am very interested in (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 2018).  This position is a Senior Specialist Early Childhood Development (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 2018).  I especially have an interest in this vacancy as this position seeks for a candidate that has good knowledge about early childhood development, which is exactly where my expertise lay.  I have never heard of the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, however, after reading more about the work that this private foundation does, I have learned that this foundation’s main goal is to “improve opportunities for children from birth to age 8 growing up in circumstances of social and economic disadvantage” (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 2018, p. 1).

Another vacancy that interests me is the position of a programme specialist for UNESCO in New Delhi (UNESCO, 2018).  This position expects the candidate “to lead the overall strategic direction of the Education Programme through policy development and the coordination and implementation of all related activities and projects in line with the established priorities” (UNESCO, 2018, p. 1).  This position also requires a “minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible relevant Professional experience in the field of educational policy advice and education planning and management, of which 3 years acquired at international level” (UNESCO, 2018, p. 1).  All of my teaching experience is international, although I do not have experience in management therefore for this position I will have to first take on a position that requires me to practice my management skills.

This week the Jobs/Roles in the ECE International Community really interest me as I work internationally and would like to someday leave Thailand for another country to further peruse and advance my career in early childhood education.

References

Bernard van Leer Foundation. (2018). About Us: Who We Are. Retrieved from bernardvanleer.org: https://bernardvanleer.org/about-us/

Bernard van Leer Foundation. (2018). Bernard van Leer Foundation Job Description. Retrieved from bernardvanleer.org: https://bernardvanleer.org/app/uploads/2018/05/Vacancy-Senior-Specialist-Early-Childhood-Development.pdf

UNESCO. (2018). UNESCO Careers: External Candidates. Retrieved from careers.unesco.org: https://careers.unesco.org/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl

UNESCO. (2018). UNESCO Careers: External Candidates. Retrieved from careers.unesco.org: https://careers.unesco.org/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The three organizations of practice that appeal to me are the National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Head Start Association and World Organization For Early Childhood Education.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children offer a lot of job opportunities for people who work in the field of early childhood and they and this organization “works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research” (NAEYC, 2018, p. 1).  This organization especially appeals to me as they are committed to providing high-quality early learning (NAEYC, 2018).  “The National Head Start Association is a nonprofit organization that is committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life” (National Head Start Association, 2018, p. 1).  Although I have never worked with or for the NHSA, several classmates in a lot of the courses in this program recommended this organization and spoke in very high regards of this organization.  This organization supports more than 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 1,600 Head Start grantees in the United States (National Head Start Association, 2018).  The World Organization for Early Childhood Education is dedicated to promoting the optimum conditions for all children, in order to ensure their well-being, development, and happiness, both within their family unit and the wider communities in which they live (World Organization for Early Childhood Education, 2018).  This organization “aims to defend and promote the rights of the child with special emphasis on the right to education and care worldwide” (World Organization for Early Childhood Education, 2018, p. 1).

The NAEYC is currently looking for a Global Engagement Coordinator (NAEYC, 2018).  This is the kind of job opportunity that really interests me although this job requires functional use of Spanish, Arabic or Chinese is desirable.  I don’t speak either of these languages, however; I meet all the other job requirements.  So this specific job posting might not be the one for me, but something in this line is what I would like to do.  A position that I would also be interested in is the position of a Lead Teacher Early Head Start (Zero to Three, 2018).  This position requires the implementation and coordination of a comprehensive education program in the classroom (Zero to Three, 2018). It also requires that you ensure that the classroom activities and environment are developmentally appropriate and reflect the agency’s philosophy and curriculum (Zero to Three, 2018).  Another position that interests me is a Remote Early Learning Project Coordinator in Cambodia (United Nations, 2018).  I have traveled to Cambodia and would really not mind working there, especially as there are so many young children in great need of quality education.  The Remote Early Learning (R.E. Learning) Project Coordinator will lead and manage the R.E. Learning project in Pursat province in accordance with the project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and financial-resource management policies of Save the Children (SC) and donors to deliver effective and efficient outcomes for marginalized and disadvantaged children.  This position requires you to work in close collaboration with government partners as well as SC’s Senior ECCD Advisor, Area/Provincial teams, Education Program Manager, and relevant NGOs in the target area (United Nations, 2018).

References

NAEYC. (2018). About Us. Retrieved from naeyc.org: https://www.naeyc.org/about-us

NAEYC. (2018). Jobs. Retrieved from https://naeyc.applicantpro.com/jobs/794850.html

National Head Start Association. (2018). About Us: Mission, History and Vision. Retrieved from nhsa.org: https://www.nhsa.org/about-us/mission-vision-history

United Nations. (2018). Remote Early Learning Project Coordinator, Pursat, Cambodia. Retrieved from unjobs.org: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1527695883200

World Organization for Early Childhood Education. (2018). About OMEP. Retrieved from http://worldomep.org: http://worldomep.org/index.php?hCode=INTRO_01_02

Zero to Three. (2018). Career Center. Retrieved from careercenter.zerotothree.org: https://careercenter.zerotothree.org/jobs/11115902/lead-teacher-early-head-start?utm_source=813876&utm_medium=recentJobs&utm_campaign=mainLanding&utm_term=

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The first organization that I would be very interested in joining is the Bangkok Kindergarten Volunteering Project (The Friends for Asia Project, 2015).  This organization especially appeals to me as I live and work in Thailand and I would like to give back to the community that has given so much to me.  I would be interested in getting involved in this program, maybe even helping with the curriculum or supporting people who would like to volunteer.  As most volunteers are very young and don’t have any teaching experience.  At my school, we also have a community of practice known as the Pedagogical Development Group.  The pedagogical development group supports the school management team as well as the teachers by identifying and sharing best teaching practices.  I would like to become part of this community of practice as I feel that most of the teaching practices and ideas that they share support the upper elementary teachers.  There is a lack of teaching practices and ideas that are shared that are relevant to lower elementary and kindergarten teachers, therefore I believe that I can contribute to this community of practice.

Another organization that appeals to me is the International Parenting Network (International Parenting Network, 2018).  I have attended a few of their events before and this organization provides such a good support to parents as they offer a wide range of parenting support services to parents and childcare professionals through events, seminars, and workshops.  I would be interested in getting more involved and perhaps volunteer to offer a workshop on inclusion.  A job opportunity that I am very interested in is becoming a program coordinator for a Head Start/Early Head Start center.  For this job opportunity, I won’t need any additional education as I already have a master’s degree in educational administration.  Another job opportunity that I would be interested in is a Center Director/Family Service Coordinator.  For this job opportunity, I will need “knowledge of program planning and practices in infant/toddler and preschool center-based programs through knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards and best practices related to early childhood education” (United Nations, 2018, p. 1).  Thus this can be a job opportunity that I can consider after gaining experience in being a program coordinator for a Head Start/Early Head Start center.

References

International Parenting Network. (2018). Retrieved from Smartexpat: https://smartexpat.com/thailand/bangkok/business/family/support-groups/bangkok-international-parenting-network-ipn-9253

The Friends for Asia Project. (2015). Kindergarten Volunteer – Bangkok. Retrieved from Bangkok Volunteer Projects that Make a Difference: https://www.volunteerthailand.org/bangkok/

United Nations. (2018). Center Director/Family Service Coordinator, Patterson, United States. Retrieved from unjobs.org: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1500076437780

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

My hope is to continue to do research in finding ways that will allow me to grow as an anti-bias educator by teaching children about different kinds of families and the concept of that “We are all the same; we are all different”, as this will “support children in feeling pride in their own family and be open to other children’s families” (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010, p.114).  Becoming aware of the important role that adult’s play in the lives of young children has allowed me to see why it is important that I help, the children whom I teach, to construct a positive sense of self and a respectful understanding of others (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  Therefore through this support, it is my hope to continue to support the positive identity development of every child and work closely with their families as well.  I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone in this class for giving me the opportunity to grow as an anti-bias educator.  Through your blogs, comments and discussion posts I was able to learn and grow as an early childhood educator.  Wishing you all the best for your next course!

Reference

Derman-Sparks and Edwards. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. Washinton DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

 

Impacts on Early Emotional Development

I decided to look into the work that UNICEF is doing in East Asia especially in Thailand, as this is the country that I teach in.  I read about a report that was done by the UNICEF on the support that children need, who are living in construction site camps (UNICEF, 2018).  This report highlighted four main challenges that affecting the health and safety of migrant children who are living in the construction site camps (UNICEF, 2018).  I found this very interesting as I myself have seen how migrant workers set up their temporary housing next to the new sky riser or condominium that they will be working on for a couple of months.  The conditions that these workers live in are very poor, lack basic sanitation needs and often you see a lot of children in these construction site camps.  The report revealed that there is “a lack of appropriate facilities, with many sites lacking adequate showers and toilets, and with existing facilities not separated by gender, putting children at risk of sexual abuse” (UNICEF, 2018, p. 10).  There is an increased risk of social exclusion, discrimination, and exposure to neglect and violence in these constructions camps (UNICEF, 2018).  As  “nine out of 10 children reporting that they have either witnessed adults fighting or have experienced some form of physical violence from their parents or guardians” (UNICEF, 2018, p. 10).  Children living in construction sites also do not have access to health care, and one in five children have not received basic vaccinations (UNICEF, 2018).  The report also revealed that “most of these children are not in schools, and barriers to education include frequent moves, not being aware of their right to education, not understanding the language of instruction, and the costs of attending school that are not covered by the government” (UNICEF, 2018, p. 10).

When children’s basic health and educational needs are not met how can they succeed in life? One of the adverse impacts of unmet needs on young children is that it can impair early school success (Cooper, Masi and Vick, 2009).   Children who live in these construction site camps have a lot of basic needs not met.  They don’t have access to education and basic health and sanitation.  They are also very vulnerable to exclusion, discriminations as well as neglect and violence.  These children’s future looks very dark and full of obstacles.  Research has shown that “negative early experiences can impair children’s mental health and affect their cognitive, behavioral, social-emotional development” (Cooper, Masi, and Vick, 2009, p. 1).  Studies have also indicated that failure to meet children’s basic needs linked to later aggression and delinquency (University at Buffalo School of Social Work, 2015).  This reading has allowed me to become more aware of the challenges that children who live in construction site camps, face.  I have also become more aware of the action framework that the UNICEF is presenting to companies across the sector, to ensure the improvements for all children growing up in construction site camps throughout Thailand.  My hope is that these companies will implement the 12 concrete actions presented in this framework, as this can make a big difference to the lives children of the migrant workers they employ; a lot of children’s future depends on it!  This awareness has inspired me to find out if there are any organizations that support these children and find out how our school can support these organizations.

References

Cooper, Masi, and Vick (2009, August). Social-emotional Development in Early Childhood. Retrieved from nccp.org: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_882.html

UNICEF. (2018, March 28). Building Futures for Thailand: Support to Children Living in Construction Site Camps. Retrieved from unicef.org: file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/UN0187739.pdf

University at Buffalo School of Social Work. (2015, April 22). Failure to meet children’s basic needs linked to later aggression and delinquency. Retrieved from news-medical.net: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20150422/Failure-to-meet-childrens-basic-needs-linked-to-later-aggression-and-delinquency.aspx

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

This is a topic that interests me as I have yet to deal with this but would like to learn and become more aware of the steps that I can take when this happens.  I often see some of the children at our school from the age of 3 years wearing lipstick or makeup when we have casual clothes day (our students wear school uniforms except for every last Friday of the month), some girls wear high heels especially those Barbie/Princess plastic ones.  On these casual clothes days, girls also tend to wear very short shorts and dresses as well.  However, I have not encountered children who treat other people as objects of sexual desire (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009).  I have seen advertisements in Thailand in which young girls are wearing make-up, high heels, and short skirts/shorts.  Unfortunately, in “Thai soap operas, rape is often shown as a vehicle for revenge or a path to true love” (Roxburgh, 2016, p. 1).  Research by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation found that 80 percent of Thai soap operas, depicted rape or sexual violence in 2014, and characters who commit sexual violence are also rarely held to account (Roxburgh, 2016).

This is very concerning as through these images children “learn that sex is the defining activity in relationships, to the exclusion of love and friendship” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2).  The sexualization of childhood is significantly impacting children’s understanding of gender, sexuality, and relationships (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009).  Early childhood professionals can tackle this problem and reduce the negative effects that it has on young children by supporting parents, instead of blaming them, and work together with parents to address this problem (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009).  Teachers should “protect children as much as possible from exposure to sexualized media and products” (Levin, 2017, p. 9).  Teachers should also try to make good decisions about the media and toys in their children’s lives and create rules and routines about age-appropriate media which TV shows, movies, Web sites, and video games children watch or use (Levin, 2017).  There are a lot of resources out there and thus teachers can help parents find resources that can help them deal with this new sexualized environment (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009).  Below is a couple of resources that teachers can use and share with parents to tackle this problem and reduce the negative effects:

http://www.truceteachers.org/ (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment, n.d)

A book that offers advice on how to handle sexually explicit movies, dolls, and more. Title of this book: Too Sexy, Too Soon: Combating the Sexualization of Childhood https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2807292-so-sexy-so-soon (Goodreads, 2018)

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/sexuality/preventing-the-sexualization-of-your-daughter/preventing-the-sexualization-of-your-daughter (Courtney, 2018)

http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/what-parents-can-do.pdf (American Psychological Association, 2018)

Resources

American Psychological Association. (2018, January). The Sexualization of Girls: What Parents Can Do. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/what-parents-can-do.pdf

Courtney. (2018). Prevent the Sexualization of Your Daughter. Retrieved from focusonthefamily.com: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/sexuality/preventing-the-sexualization-of-your-daughter/preventing-the-sexualization-of-your-daughter

Goodreads. (2018). So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood, and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2807292-so-sexy-so-soon

Kilbourne and Levin (2009). So Sexy So Soon. Retrieved from The New Sexualized Childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (p. 1-8): http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Levin. (2017, July). Dealing with the Impact of Today’s Sexualized Childhood on Young Children. Retrieved from commercialfreechildhood.org: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/sites/default/files/levin_sexualizedculture.pdf

Roxburgh. (2016, November 22). Public Anger Is Growing At How Thailand’s TV Shows Glorify Rape. Retrieved from Huffingtonpost.com: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/thailand-rape-soap-operas_us_582c733fe4b01d8a014b800e

Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.truceteachers.org/

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

“Children absorb value-laden attitudes and beliefs about themselves and others regarding where and how they live, what they do and don’t own, how they travel, what they wear, and so on” (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010, p.102).  The children and families whom I work with are all very well off, as I work at a private International School where most of the families either own businesses in Bangkok or are CEO’s for companies and some parents are ambassadors for embassies.  Sometimes it can be quite challenging working with these children as they look down on other families and children who have less than they do.  In class, I often find myself talking about how we should appreciate what we have, that money can’t buy everything and a lot of times I have to work with children that have behavioral issues as most of the children whom I work with are very spoiled and get everything that they want.  I grew up in a low-income working-class family.  Both my parents had to work very hard just to get by.  As I have experienced consequences of classism I am trying to teach my students to not be prejudice against children and families who belong to a particular social class.  When I was younger, I remember being frustrated and angry with not having what others had or not being able to do the things that others could.  My hope is that I will be able to teach my children to respect people who belong to particular social classes and to not be prejudice against them.

Reference

Derman-Sparks and Edwards. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Observing Communication

For this assignment, I observed one of my colleagues who work with children between 3 and 5 years old.  The teacher was playing a board game with a group of 4 children.  Although the teacher was playing with the children, she was mostly listening to the children and observing their interactions with each other.  She didn’t interfere and only observed and listened.  At one point the children had a small argument about whose turn it is, and without the teacher saying anything the children decided amongst each other whose turn it is.  I think that this is an example of the art of stepping back as presented in the article titled Conversations with a 2-Year-Old (Stephenson, 2009).  A couple of minute into the game the teacher walked over to a group of children who were playing with Lego and building blocks on the carpet.  She sat with them and they started communicating with her.  One of the boys who are 3 years old came up to the teacher showing her his Lego structure that can fly and before the teacher could say anything a girl, who is 5 years old told the boy that he needs wings if it can fly.  So the girl grabbed some Lego wings and gave it to the boy, and the boy looked a bit confused.  The girl then helped the boy to put the wings on and the boy walked around the teacher with his Lego structure making flying noises.  Through this observation, I became more aware of how children’s relationships with each other can be observed when we step back and only observe and listen to children playing (Stephenson, 2009).  The teacher asked another student some questions about the house that she built using small wooden blocks.  The teacher asked the child about the specific rooms, who lived in the house and why she decided to build a house for her friends.  These were all questions that allowed the child to expand her vocabulary and extend her ideas (Dangei and Durden, 2010).

I work very closely with this teacher and our communication styles with children are very similar.  We always try to ask children questions about their art, work, and structures from Lego/blocks/leaves/sticks etc. that will allow them to expand their vocabulary and extend their ideas (Dangei and Durden, 2010).  The teacher who I observed has a lot more experience than me in this field. She is a mentor to me and I have learned a lot from her over the past couple of years.  I have especially learned from her how to promote children’s thinking and how to assess children’s knowledge, which is two of the functions of teachers’ language (Dangei and Durden, 2010).  I think that one thing that I could work on is encouraging participation even more.  As I believe that this will allow all the children to have more communication opportunities.

References

Dangei and Durden. (2010). The nature of teacher talk during small group activities. Retrieved from YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81: https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=248cf013-f440-4dc3-b0a2-9b0d0fe90415%40sessionmgr4007

Stephenson. (2009). Conversations with a 2-Year-Old. Retrieved from Walden Library: https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=6402a899-6fe9-4bfc-af1e-c9350dba9402%40sessionmgr4010

Creating Affirming Environments

“An environment rich in anti-bias material invites exploration and discovery and supports children’s activities” (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, p.43, 2010).  All material, toys, and equipment have an impact on what children learn (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  If I had to open my own family childcare home I would use posters, flash cards and books that accurately and nonstereotypical reflect all the children and families in our program (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  I would also include books that do not meet the anti-bias criteria, as these books also serve to teach children about accurate assumptions about a specific race, culture or stereotype (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  A specific book that portrays diversity that I will include in my childcare home is Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña (Scholastic, 2018).  I will ensure that we have a wide range of different colored paint, coloring pencils, and markers that represent a range of skin tones (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  A specific book that I would have in my childcare home is “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz (Scholastic, 2018).  When children are confused about their skin tone I would use this book to help them explore their skin tone in a positive way and support the idea of that all colors are beautiful.  I loved the idea of the different colored and scented pillows that Adriana uses in her family child care home (Laureate Education, Inc, 2011).  I would also have these scented pillows in my family childcare home.

 

When purchasing Lego, I will make sure to purchase some of the new Lego released themes products like the “Woman of Nasa” (Lego, 2017).  A lot of the older Lego released themes that we purchase portray specific stereotypes (Czerski, 2015).  I will also make sure that we have a wide range of colored Lego, and have all the Lego mixed together in one large container.  Therefore, boys and girls can together use pink, purple, blue, green etc Lego as they please.  At this family childcare home, we will also have a very large family wall where children are encouraged to bring pictures of their families from home and place it on this family wall, which is at the entrance of the home.  This idea was inspired by Andriana’s “Our Small Community” poster (Laureate Education, Inc, 2011).  The purpose of having a “Family Wall” or “Our Small community” poster is to allow families to “feel welcome and allow them to feel part of the program” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2011, 3:07 min).  Once a month we will ask one family to do a workshop with the children about their specific culture/traditions.  As it is essential to incorporate children’s family traditions in an anti-bias education program (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010).  We will also have a “workshop of the month” wall where pictures of the workshop will be placed on this wall for everyone to see.

    References

Czerski, H. (2015, June 06). Lego still builds gender stereotypes. Retrieved from theguardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/06/lego-gender-stereotypes-scientists-female-minifigures

Derman-Sparks and Edwards. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves. Washinton DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Welcome to an anti-bias learning community. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Lego. (2017, October 18). LEGO® WOMEN OF NASA LAUNCHES NOVEMBER 1ST. Retrieved from lego.com: https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2017/october/lego-ideas-women-of-nasa

Scholastic. (2018). Last Stop On Market Street. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/last-stop-on-market-street-by-matt-de-la-pena/

Scholastic. (2018). The Colors of Us. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/the-colors-of-us-by-karen-katz/